page_title: Wanapum Dam
section_title: Spillway crack
hierarchical_section_title: Wanapum Dam / History / Spillway crack
caption_attribution_description: This wonderful basalt formation looms over the Columbia River just south of Wanapum Dam.
context_page_description: Wanapum Dam is a hydroelectric project located on the Columbia River downstream from Vantage, Washington where Interstate 90 crosses the Columbia from Grant County into Kittitas County. It is owned by the Grant County Public Utility District. Its reservoir is named Lake Wanapum.
  The dam, and its lake, are named after the Wanapum Indians. The dam has a rated capacity of 1,185 megawatts and annually generates over 4 million megawatt-hours.
context_section_description: On February 27, 2014, a 2-inch (5 cm) wide crack was discovered by inspection divers on one of the 65 feet (20 m) tall concrete monoliths that make up the spillway of the dam. A spokesman for the Grant County PUD indicated that the level of the water was to be lowered by 26 feet (8 m) over a period of days to "reduce the pressure on the spillway while inspectors investigate".
  During the time that the water level was lowered for repairs, all beaches and water access in the area above the dam were closed to protect sensitive cultural resources and help to ensure public safety. Public access was restored in the spring of 2015.
  After an 11-week inspection, the primary reason for the crack was determined to be a mathematical error during the pre-construction design of the dam. Repairs of the cracked monolith and the strengthening of the remaining monoliths were made in 2014-2015. The $61 million fix, used steel cabling and rods to stitch the dam to the bedrock underneath.
caption: Basalt bluff over the Columbia River near Wanapum Dam
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